‘Acute need for sensitising judiciary, law enforcing agencies about SC/ST Act’

Ahmedabad, March 31 From the recent custodial death in Surendranagar to a murder in Bhavnagar, as many as 12 cases of atrocities against Dalits came up for a public hearing organised by Navsarjan Trust at the Town Hall here on Monday.
While the victims narrated their harrowing experiences with the police and judiciary during their quest for justice, the jury comprising representatives from civil society organisations, judiciary and the police felt there is an acute need for sensitising both the judiciary and the law enforcing agencies on the various aspects of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The jury, which comprised of eminent Dalit activist Martin Macwan, Director Dalit Shakti Kendra, Ami Yagnik member National Women's Commission Ambalal Chauhan, former IPS officer, noted social worker Praksh Shah, Manjula Pradeep, Convener Dalit Women's Working Group-IDSN and Director Navsarjan Trust, felt that apart from the police, lawyers also need to be trained on the act.
The act should also be specially taught as a part of the curriculum in law colleges, the jury felt.
It further recommended that the cases of atrocities involving the police or having political angle should not be handled by a police official, but be looked into through a magisterial enquiry.
They added that such cases should not be filed in the police stations but be registered as private complaint. The hearing decided to document some of these cases and send them to the UN Special Rapportiers on racism and extrajudicial deaths.
Express news servicePosted online: Tuesday , April 01, 2008 at 01:26:11Updated: Tuesday , April 01, 2008 at 01:26:11